WASHINGTON (CNN) - West Virginia Democrat Sen. Robert Byrd ended a two-month absence from the Senate Tuesday when he returned for a vote on the F-22 jet fighter program.

In a statement issued by his office Tuesday, Byrd said it was "wonderful to be back in the august body where I have served for more than 50 years, and to see all my colleagues who have been so supportive of me during my recent hospitalization."

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who as the Democratic whip is in charge of counting the party's votes in the chamber, told reporters he was glad to see his colleague back. "All's right in the world: Robert C. Byrd is on the floor of the Senate," Durbin says he told Byrd when the two men saw each other today. He says the West Virginia senator smiled in response.

Byrd has been away from the Senate since mid-May, when he was hospitalized for a minor infection, then contracted a staph infection while he was in the hospital.

His office said the senator is expected to ease back into his duties, and to vote on Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination, health care reform, and climate change legislation.

soundoff(35 Responses)

The good senator knows once he steps down the black shrouded being with the scythe is waiting for him. Yes, it would be better for a younger person to serve the interests of West Virginia, but.......

July 21, 2009 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

Flat-earther, Roswell, Georgia

Term Limits now. We have 535 hacks at the public trough. The founding fathers allowed only successful property owners to vote. Now we have half our voters from below the IQ mean. We are at the politicians mercy.

July 21, 2009 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

Free Thinker

a living billboard for why there should be term limits.

July 21, 2009 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

B

TERM LIMITS PEOPLE!!!

Get the Zombies out of there,these guys are hurting the system.
These guys haven't had a creative thought in 30 years!

July 21, 2009 03:35 pm at 3:35 pm |

Ajay Jain, Garland, TX, USA

Another vote for the OBAMA Agenda!

Obama – Biden 2012

July 21, 2009 03:36 pm at 3:36 pm |

GOP = Party of Hipocrisy

Mentally, Byrd checked out a long time ago. West Virginians are idiots for keeping him in office. With assistance from Kennedy and Spector, Byrd is turning the US Senate into a nursing home. His aides have no shame because they work as personal assistants and nurse's aides, not legislative staffers. Basically, by not giving someone else any chance to serve in the U.S. Senate, West Virginia is shooting the byrd at America.

July 21, 2009 03:37 pm at 3:37 pm |

yuri

Welcome back, Byrd. Be good and aid in passing some good legislations.

July 21, 2009 03:38 pm at 3:38 pm |

Angie in Pa

Good sign the Healthcare Bill!

July 21, 2009 03:39 pm at 3:39 pm |

Jimmy the Greek

Senator Byrd needed to get back into the Senate... all this stimulus money being spent and him sidelined unable to earmark billions into West Virginia!

(eyes rolling)

Mr Byrd, Mr Kennedy.... next time you need to see a doctor – it would be great if you called Dr Kevorkian.